I was a very lucky lady a few weeks back. I got the chance to try out some products from an interesting brand called Manuka Doctor, a skincare brand that use natural ingredients (including manuka honey and bee venom!) throughout it’s products. I chose the ApiRefine range that is described as ‘high definition performance’, as this was the one I thought suited me most. I’m all about making my skin looking as perfect as I can so I was rather excited when the package arrived!
Along with the three products you can see above that I’m going to be reviewing today, I did also receive a gorgeous face mask that will be featuring on my little blog some time after Christmas. I’m giving it a few weeks as I think with a product like a face mask you need to use it a good few times to see if there’s any long term, significant change. I’ll keep you posted but just as a little teaser… I’m liking it so far!
As far as ingredients go, these have got to be some of the interesting products I’ve used. The Manuka honey provides antibacterial qualities, but the purified bee venom is definitely the star of the show. You can read about it here on the Doctor Manuka website, but basically it is more on the anti-ageing spectrum, claiming to help cell regeneration, the renewal of damaged skin cells and help with the reduction in aging. It also may be a good ingredient to look into if you currently suffer from acne or used to, as it can reducing the effect of scarring and support the healing process. As someone who is interested in science I can already feel myself being pulled away from writing this blog post to go and see what I can find online…
The first product I’m going to talk about from the ApiRefine range is the CC Cream*, which is one of the products I was most excited for as I haven’t actually tried one before. When I first had a quick test of this on the back of my hand I was totally unimpressed to say the least. It looked really dark compared to my skin and I was actually gutted thinking I wouldn’t be able to wear it, but surprise surprise, once I tried it on my face it wasn’t like that at all. I don’t know how but it seemed to totally change and now I’m really liking it. I use my fingers to apply it and to be honest it just feels like a moisturiser, feeling a little sticky for a few minutes but then once settled it’s like you’re not wearing anything at all. It doesn’t look like you’re wearing anything either, it’s really natural looking and does quite a good job of masking redness around my cheeks, whilst still doing a good job of making my skin feel nourished. It’s not massively high coverage by any means mind, so if you have some pesky spots or dark circles I’d go in with the concealer afterwards. Nice for natural days when you can’t be bothered to wear makeup but still need a little something, and also very nice for under foundation when you want to look perfecto. An all round winner I’d say!
The ApiRefine Radiance Serum* was a product I knew would be right up my street, and I wasn’t wrong. I love nothing more than glowing, radiant skin and this product does exactly that… Whilst smelling absolutely gorgeous I must say. When it comes out of the pump it’s like a pearlescent liquid that kind of feels like a gel as far as texture goes, and feels ‘wet’ when you first apply it to your face. I personally wouldn’t wear this on it’s own as if I’m wearing no makeup I tend to go totally naked-faced, I just look odd having really glowing skin that should clearly look amazing but isn’t because it’s all spotty and red haha! Under foundation though this has become a firm favourite, it’s not too over the top but really does lift your whole face and illuminate it just the right amount to liven you up a little. I’m not sure I’d say it improved the look of imperfections, and obviously I can’t comment on the wrinkle part yet, but I definitely agree with everything else this little pot of serum claims to do.
Last up is the Flawless Primer*, which although wasn’t disappointing as such it’s just not a product that really appeals to me at the minute and out of all of them isn’t my favorite. Essentially it’s just a primer that is slightly peachy toned when you first pump it out of the bottle, but once applied to the skin barely has any color to it. It’s supposed to give a smooth and even finish to your skin, reducing the size of pores, wrinkles and fine lines. It does make your skin feel very smooth and makes foundation application quite nice, but personally when I’m looking for a primer I either want it to make my makeup last longer or give a bit of glow!
Overall, two out of three ain’t bad if you ask me! I’d really recommend this range if you want to try makeup that has skin benefits within it, and a few quirky ingredients! A highlight for me though is definitely the Radiance Serum so that’s definitely one to watch out for, and don’t forget to watch out for the face mask review in a few weeks :)
You can find all of the products here on the Manuka Doctor website, and there’s also a fab offer currently going on where you can try 3 of their products and 25% off your next order for only £2.50 P&P! All the info for that you can find here, so happy shopping!
PR Samples*